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Ottawa
Capital city of Canada

Ottawa

Ottawa is the capital city of Canada.

Plan a trip to Ottawa→From Montréal

It is located in the southeastern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core of the Ottawa–Gatineau census metropolitan area (CMA) and the National Capital Region (NCR). As of 2021, Ottawa had a city population of 1,017,449 and a metropolitan population of 1,488,307, making it the fourth-largest city and fourth-largest metropolitan area in Canada.

Get in

Getting to Ottawa

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  1. 01
    Macdonald-Cartier International Airport
  2. 02
    Ottawa/Rockcliffe Airport
  3. 03
    Ottawa
  4. 04
    Fallowfield

    3347 Fallowfield Road (southwest of downtown), toll-free: +1-888-842-7245.

See

Worth seeing

The primary attraction for most visitors is

Do

Things to do

There are walking tours to introduce you to the capital area. Ottawa Walking Tours offers historical guided walks of Ottawa's downtown core with special stops at areas of historical significance. Tours acquaint guests with the history of the city and allow visitors to learn more about Ottawa’s history, architecture and colourful political characters. Tours are offered year-round and reservations are required.

  1. 01
    The National Arts Centre

    1 Elgin St, toll-free: +1-866-850-ARTS (2787).

  2. 02
    The Great Canadian Theatre Company
  3. 03
    Ottawa Little Theatre

    400 King Edward Ave (one block south of Rideau), info@ottawalittletheatre.com.

  4. 04
    GigSpace

    953 Gladstone Ave (Little Italy), info@gigspaceottawa.com.

  5. 05
    Rideau Skateway

    When the temperatures are at their coldest, go skating on the largest outdoor skating rink in the world, the Rideau Canal.

  6. 06
    Mooney's Bay Ski Centre

    The city's trail system serves as an excellent cross-country ski trail system.

Eat

Where to eat

  1. 01
    BeaverTails

    69 George Street, ottawabywardmarket@beavertails.com.

  2. 02
    Shawarma Palace and 3
  3. 03
    Kettleman's Bagel
  4. 04
    Smoke's Poutinerie at 407 Dalhousie St

    If you're in town for a few days, try them both.

How locals move

Getting around Ottawa the local way

  • Get inHowever, there is a tourist-oriented water taxi that runs between Ottawa and Hull for about $6 one way.

From Wikivoyage: Ottawa, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. Last edited 2026-09.

Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Maksim Sokolov (CC BY-SA 4.0), Wikimedia Commons.